Sons of Amako
The Sons of Amako are a 5th Founding White Scars Successor Chapter, and while not the most well-known of Space Marine Chapters, they have garnered considerable fear and respect from friend and foe alike. The Sons are heavily influenced by the culture of their Homeworld, Yitasha, and as a result they are a traditionalist, unorthodox chapter with many practices that others have found strange, although the Sons could care less. The Sons of Amako currently are fighting the forces of Da Tekkboyz WAAAGH! in the Atropis Gulf of the Segmentum Tempestus. History Founding It was during the 5th Founding when the White Scars received permission to create yet another Successor Chapter and from among their number, a young Khan by the name of Amako was chosen to become the leader of this new chapter. Selecting 50 of his most trusted battle-brothers to accompany him, Amako set out in the Strike Cruiser Khan's Sojourn ''to find a planet suitable for a new Chapter Homeworld. However, some misfortune occurred during their journey, and an unforeseen flicker in the Astronomican accidentally disrupted their course through the warp, sending the ship spiraling out of control. The White Scars barely were able to regain just enough control of the ''Khan's Sojourn to steer it out of the aether and towards the nearest planet, a unexplored Feral World named Yitasha. The Strike Cruiser crash landed in the middle of the Yitashan Heavenfall Mountains, in a entering the atmosphere like a firery comet. The explosion caused by he crash could be seen for miles, and the native Yitashans recoiled in fear from it, thinking that their God-Emperor was enraged. But, eventually one of the Yitashan Clans, Clan Onaga, sent scouts into the Heavenfall Mountains to explore the crash site. The scouts instead the discovered the remaining White Scars, and unsure of how to approach these seemingly god-like beings, led them out of the mountains to Clan Onaga's capital city, Isoma. Amako was immediatly greeted by the leader of Clan Onaga, Kameginto, who brought the wounded White Scars into his citidel and treated to their needs as best as he and his Clan could, thinking that the White Scars were Angels sent by the God-Emperor. Amako told Kameginto of their unfortunent crash landing and how they had come to create a new Chapter of Space Marines. Kameginto, in turn, revealed the horrible state that his homeworld was in. Amako learned that Yitasha was currently engulfed by a civil war, started when Clan Ashiaru had tried to assassinate the leader of a rival Clan, resulting in a war between the two Great Clans that ultimately resulted in several other Clans being dragged into the conflict as well. The war had been raging for several years now, and with no clear victor in sight and thousands dead, Kameginto had hoped the arrival of the Space Marines would finally bring peace. Amako, knowing that he would have to secure Yitasha if he wished it to become a Chapter Homeworld, agreed to resolve the conflict. Adapting to the warrior culture of Yitasha, Amako combined the Yitashan martial tactics with the combat doctrine of the White Scars, creating a highly flexible fighting force. Under Amako's leadership and bolstered by the remaining White Scars, Clan Onaga became an unstoppable fighting forces. In just a few short years, the other Clans had been brought to a heel. Under the White Scar's watchful eye, the Clans created a new treaty to prevent another full-scale war to happen between the Clans. Amako and his Space Marines, meanwhile, became celebrated heros, and Kameginto even when so far as to adopt the Astartes into Clan Onaga, a rare honor in Yitashan culture. The remaining White Scars also honored Amako, for delivering such a complete victory in such a few short years, and swore new oaths tho their Chapter's new "Shogun". No longer were they the White Scars, they were the Sons of Amako. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Chapter Organization Chapter Hierarchy The Sons of Amako are heavily influenced by the culture of their native Homeworld, and as a result they have an many different sets of ranks than Codex Chapter. The ranks are listed in order of lowest to highest ranking: 'Chugen' The equivalent of an Initiate, a Chugen is simply an Aspirant by another name. 'Ashigaru' Somewhat the equivalent of a scout marine, an Ashigaru is apprenticed to a full Hohei (Space Marine) in a way similar to the trandition of the Black Templars. It is the Ashigaru's duty to serve and fight along side his master, and it is the Hohei's duty to train and protect the Ashigaru until such time as the Ashigaru becomes a full Space Marine. As a result, a squad of Hohei includes their respective Ashigaru, and the two fight side-by-side on the battlefield. An Ashigaru is typicaly armed with a Combat Blade and Bolt Pistol. 'Hohei' A Hohei is a full Space Marine, the equivalent of a standard Space Marine. It is a Hohei's duty to take on an Ashigaru as an apprentice and train him until he becomes a full Hohei. The Hohei are divided into the standard Squads of Tactical, Assault, and Devastator, and bear their squad symbol on their left knee. But, in addition to their standard gear, every Hohei carries with him a Tanto, a weapon similar to a gladius, but with a thinner, curved blade. A Tanto is considered to be a sacred weapon, and to lose one is a great dishonor among the Sons of Amako. 'Gunso' A Gunso is the equivalent of a Space Marine Sergeant. A Gunso leads a squad of Hohei into battle, and is allowed to carry higher-grade weapons and armor because of their high rank. They can typically be identified by their ornate wargear, and sometime wear Daemon Masks. A Daemon Mask is space marine helmet whose faceplate has been elaborately forged into a visage of a snarling fiend, and is designed to strike fear into the the enemy. But, Daemon Masks ''are rare, and not many of the Gunso have them. 'Taisa''' A Taisa is the equivalent of a Captain, a and leads one of the Sons of Amako's Companies. A Taisa is a great warrior, and is revered by his fellow Sons of Amako, second only to the Shogun (Chapter Master) of the Sons of Amako himself. A Taisa carries some of the finest wargear the Sons of Amako can procure, as but all Taisa carry a Tanto and a Named Blade, a sacred power sword given to them by the Shogun upon their acension to the rank of Taisa. A Named Blade is passed down from Taisa to Taisa, and all twelve blades are considered to be some of the Chapter's most sacred artifacts. All ten of the Sons of Amako's Taisa wield one, as well as the Shogun himself and his Daimyo (Chapter Champion). Taisa's also wear Daemon Masks. 'Daimyo' The Daimyo is the Sons of Amako's Chapter Champion, and the right hand of the Shogun. It is his sworn duty to protect the Shogun, as well as defeat the most formidable foes that face the chapter. The Daimyo rarely leaves the Shogun's side, but when he does it is usually only when his skills are needed the most. He is the most formidable fighter the Sons of Amako have, and wields the Named Blade Separator, a weapon that is passed down from Daimyo to Daimyo. A Daimyo is chosen from the ranks of the Taisa, who then receives Separator ''and becomes the next Daimyo. The current Daimyo is Oda Kamakshi. 'Shogun' The Shogun is the equivalent of a Chapter Master. He wields the Named Blade ''Sky Splitter, a weapon that was first weilded by Amako, the Sons' founder. Since then Sky Splitter has been passed down from Shogun to Shogun. It is now wielded by the current Shogun, Isuma Onaga. Chapter Librarius Due to a latent gene deficiency, only one out of every one thousand Yitashans is born with psychic potential. The plus side of this strange deficiency is that Yitashans psykers are very powerful, ranging from Delta to Beta grade in power. Thus, while Librarians are rare among the Sons of Amako, they are powerful and extremely deadly in combat, trained in the use of unique powers only used by Librarians of the Sons of Amako: *'Warcry '- Shouting a mighty warcry, the Librarian infuses his voice with psychic power, inspiring and revitalizing his fellow Sons of Amako and giving them a sudden boost of energy, allowing them to fight even harder. *'Spectral Swords' - The Librarian creates sevral floating blades of pure psychic energy that can be directed to attack a single foe or multiple enemies. These katana-like blades cut cut through ceramite with ease, and make short work of lesser foes. *'Living Nightmare' - Creating a psychic illusion within the minds of several opponents, the Librarian manifests the forms of terrifying daemon-like creatures within their minds, making them attack their allies out of fear, mistaking their friends for daemons. *'Chosen Foe' - Reaching through the warp, the Librarian selects a single enemy and teleports him to his location. This abillity is useful for drawing enemy commanders out of their hiding places, as the the more powerful the Librarian, the stronger his psychic grasp. *'Wrath of the Fallen' - The Librarian augments his own physical strength and stamina, surrounding himself in an shroud of ghostly, skull-like visages, representing the spirits of the dead. This attack is twofold as it both empowers the Librarian and terrifies weak-willed opponents. Chapter Culture The Sons of Amako boast a proud warrior culture that follows several martial philosophies and traditions. For starters, the Sons of Amako all follow a rigorus Yitashan warrior-code known simply as The Way of the Warrior. The Way has several tenets, each one promoting strength, courage, honor, loyalty to the Chapter, faith in the Emperor, and defense of the weak. The Way's tenets define the chapter's traditions and beliefs, which can and has brought them into conflict with those who's beliefs contradict their own. The Sons believe in honor, and to them, honor the most important value of a being. To them, honor must be earned, so if one were to prove themselves to the Sons of Amako, then he/she would earn their respect. However, the Sons believe that xenos, mutants, heretics, and Daemons have no honor, which in most cases (from their perspective) is true, and are only worthy of contempt. Sons take their personal honor very seriously, so seriously that at one point the entire chapter embarked on a penitence crusade over a single failed campaign that the current Shogun felt had "dishonored" his chapter. In addition, if a battle-brother were to in some way dishonor the chapter, then he is given a blade and a choice, he can either kill himself, and die honorably, or have his head sliced off by another battle-brother. Also, the Sons often engage in ritualistic duels, as a means of both friendly competition and dispute settling. The Sons are very religious, revering not just the Emperor and Primarch, but also their founder, Amako. But, the Sons do not see these figures as divine, but rather as trinity of beings that they honor through service to the Imperium. They often invoke the Amako's name, and his weapons and armor are considered to be holy relics. Combat Doctrine Like the White Scars themselves, the Sons of Amako prefer to be a fast and mobile strike force, with many Biker and Assault Squads. However, unlike the White Scars, the Sons a hardly one for surprise attacks, preferring to attack the enemy head-on, blades bared and screaming battlecries into the wind. This is due to the fact that the Sons of Amako consider it to be cowardly to ambush an enemy, which unfortunately has earned them a high casualty rate. However, this is made up for by the Son's prowess in melee combat, particularly with swords. The Sons have developed several fighting styles that are otherwise unfamiliar to their opponents, thus giving them an edge. A few of these styles even involve dual-wielding weapons, which the Sons excel at. They use their numerous Assualt and Biker squads to close the gap between them and their opponents, putting them within reach of their blades. In addition, the Sons of Amako wield several types of exotic weapons, including: 'Tanto' ' '''As mentioned before, a Tanto is a short, monomolecular blade similar to a Space Marine gladius, but with a thinner, slightly curved blade. Every battle-brother of the Sons of Amako wields one, and is primarily used as a backup weapon. A Tanto is considered to be a holy piece of wargear, and to lose one is a grave dishonor among the Sons. 'Naginata' The Sons of Amako's version of a power glaive, it is a staple weapon of the Sons of Amako and is used primarily by their biker squads. Armed with this weapon, a biker can both stab and slash at his opponents, making him a deadly force to contend with. Naginata's are also sometimes used by Tactical squads, the weapon giving their strikes a considerable reach. 'Kanabo' A Kanabo is a long, spiked, club-like power weapon similar to a Space Marine power maul. This fearsome weapon, while heavy and somewhat cumbersome, can be deadly in the right hands. It requires two hands to wield and can cave in an ork's skull with a single strike. Larger versions of the Kanabo are weilded by Terminators of the Sons of Amako, and are often seen in the hands of Veterans. Brotherhoods Coming Soon... Chapter Fleet The Sons of Amako are known to have the following ships on their chapter fleet: *''Mekurabe (Battle-Barge) - Named after a terrifing fiend from Yitashan folklore, the Mekurabe is the flagship of the Sons of Amako. It is one of the oldest ships in the chapters fleet, and by far one of the most powerful. It is currently engaged in the Atropis Gulf Campaign, destroying Ork Kroozers in the skies of of forge worlds. *''Amako's Sojourn (Battle-Barge) - ''Amako's Sojourn ''is the vessel in which Amako first discovered the planet Yitasha, and since then was renamed after the Son's founder. While not as legendary as the ''Mekurabe, the Sojourn ''has garnered a considerable reputation, as it's arrival has often heralded an oncoming victory for the Sons of Amako. *''Unyielding Warrior (Battle-Barge) *''Emperor's Blade'' (Strike Cruiser) *''Scarlet Dawn'' (Strike Cruiser) *''Spirit Fiend (Strike Cruiser) Notable Campaigns *(Currently Engaged In) '''The Atropis Gulf Campaign' - Within the sector known as the Atropis Gulf are several Forge Worlds, so it was little suprise when the tech-crazed Tekkboyz massed a massive Ork WAAAAGH! in order to raid and loot the Forge Worlds for new "Tek". The Adeptus Mechanicus forces sttioned on each world were unfortunently no match for the sheer number of Greenskins, and thus the Sons of Amako were deployed to end the Ork threat. The 1st, 5th, and 8th Brotherhoods are currnetly engaged in this drawn-out campaign, fighting on multiple fronts. Homeworld Yitasha is a Feral World quite similar to the continent of Japan of Ancient Terra. It boasts massive mountain ranges, beautiful forests, snaking rivers, and a society of humans quite similar to those of Feudal Japanese Terra. These humans are divided up into various warrior-clans, each one unique from the other in different ways. Each one has claims ownership of a large territory, but due to the sheer abundance of Clans, border disputes are quite common, sometimes even small-scale wars. But, the clans have never all gone to war, as not to risk the wrath of the "Emperor's Angels." that dwell upon their planet. The native Yitashan people are fervent followers of the Imperial Cult, even before the Son's of Amako arrived. They are particularly reverent of the Sons of Amako themselves, seeing them as nothing less than the Scions of the Emperor himself, which suits the Sons just fine. This also helps with the recruitment process as the Yitashans more than eager to give up their most promising sons in hopes of the them joining the ranks of the Sons of Amako. The Yitashan wilderness is home to a variety of strange creatures, most of them deadly. As such, traveling through a Yitashan forest, while beautiful to behold, oftentimes results in the untimely demise of said traveler. The Sons often test themselves by taking pilgrimages into the wilderness, unarmed and testing themselves against Yitasha's deadly fauna. Recruitment Every 10 years, the Yitashan Clans send their best and most promising youths on a pilgrimage to the Heavenfall Mountains. Some don't survive, ans the Yitashan wilderness can be deadly to travelers, but those who do must then journey up the tallest of the mountains to reach the Sons of Amako's hidden fortress-monastery, the Grand Temple. Many more will perish during the journey, succumbing to the harsh, freezing weather of the Heavenfall Mountains, but some always reach the Temple. At the gates of the temple, they will be confronted by a Librarian of the Sons of Amako, who will scan the Aspirant's minds to see if they are truly worthy to become a member of the Sons. Those who pass this test are accepted in as Chugen, but those who don't are refused entry and must make their way back to civilization, but very few survive the trip home. The new Chugen are taken into the heart of the Grand Temple, to face their true tests. In the days that follow they will face trials of strength, courage, faith, and integrity, but the most challenging test is the final trial, the Trial of Honor. The Chugen must duel a Sons of Amako Tenshin (Chapter Serf) in one-on-one combat. Both are given a blade and are told to fight to the death, but if the Chugen has learned anything in his training, then he will only defeat the Tenshin, not kill him, proving his honor and worthiness. If he spares the Tenshin, he has passed his tests and will be inducted into the ranks of the Sons as a Ashigaru. If he kills the Tenshin, he has proved only that he has no honor, and is exiled from the Grand Temple, never to return. It is during the ceremony that the newly recruited Ashigaru takes his native Clan's name as is surname, honoring the Clan of his birth forevermore. Once fully inducted and implanted with the necessary organs, the Ashigaru is paired up with a Hohei, who will complete the rest of the Ashigaru's training. Notable Members Shogun Isuma Onaga The current Shogun of the Sons of Amako is Isuam Onaga, the former Taisa of the 1st Brotherhood. He has only recently become Shogun, as the last Shogun, Taikada Hirosh, was killed in battle by Da Tekkboyz WAAAGH! several weeks ago. While Isuma is by far the most qualified to assume the rank, the young Shogun still harbors doubts over his readiness to lead the chapter. To make matters worse, several more experienced members of the Sons think the same thing, and thus had lead to some infighting amongst the chapter. Daimyo Atwara Akumo After the death of Shogun Hirosh, Akumo has become absolutely fixated on killing every single last ork in Da Tekboyz WAAAGH! He feels that since he failed to protect Hirosh, he has failed his duties as Daimyo and lost his honor as a result. Akumo believes that only the destruction of the WAAAGH! will help him regain his lost honor, and even now fights against the damned orkz in the Atropis Gulf. Relations Allies: (feel free to add your own) Enemies: (feel free to add your own) Chapter Relics ''The Twelve Named Blades'' These twelve master-crafted swords were originally forged by Amako himself, and are now wielded by the commanders of the Sons of Amako. All ten of the current Taisa wield one, as well as the Daimyo and the Shogun. These blades are passed down to their sucessor's and each blade has aquired a rich history from years of bloodshed. While the Blades are considered to be holy weapons, they are far from cerimonial, and are often used by their wielders. ''The Hell Mask'' This ornate Daemon Mask is part helmet, part psychic hood, and is made from a unknown psycho-reactive metal with a curious effect. When a psyker is wearing the mask, he can channel his power into it, creating a widespread aura of fear and panic around him. The closer in proximity the wearer is, the stronger the effect becomes, to the point that a normal being's mind would literaly shatter from the sheer terror. However, the only drawback is that using the Hell Mask's power is taxing on the user, and has sent many a librarian who overused it's power into a Sus-an Membrane coma. Quotes By About Gallery SOAterminator.gif|A Sons of Amako Terminator SOAwargear.gif|The livery and wargear of a typical Hohei (MORE TO FOLLOW) Category:5th Founding Category:White Scars Successors Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines